


Generation 1, Part 6

by alicecrow6



Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [8]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batkids Age Reversal, Damian Wayne is Red Hood, Duke Thomas is Signal, F/M, Gen, Harper Row is Oracle, mentions Duke Thomas/Koriand'r
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicecrow6/pseuds/alicecrow6
Summary: Damian Wayne- Red Hood (19)Duke Thomas- Signal (18)Harper Row- Oracle (16)Damian's brought back to life and no one is as happy to see him as they should be.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas & Harper Row & Damian Wayne, Harper Row & Damian Wayne, Harper Row & Duke Thomas
Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998205
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





	Generation 1, Part 6

There was someone new. Someone who was tipping the delicate balance of Gotham.

They were walking a fine line and Harper wondered if they knew how close they were to falling.

The new vigilante, if you could even call them that, was confusing.

They were two parts mob boss and one part hero.

They killed lowlife scum that opposed them and saved prostitutes and street rats all the while.

They called themselves the Red Hood.

Bruce freaked the fuck out the first time he learned about the name.

After some digging Harper could safely say that she agreed with him.

She dragged Harley and questioned her extensively, wondering what the connection with the Joker could be about.

Harper may never have been raised by the great and powerful Batman, but she was Oracle, and Oracle knows all.

Clue, Red Hood was connected to the Joker in some way.

Clue, Red Hood worked purely in the Narrows.

Clue, Red Hood fought like Damian Wayne, the late Blackbird, had fought.

Conclusion? They were connected to the League.

Maybe an attempt to taunt Batman for the loss of his son?

That’s what the detective in her said, that's what the logical Oracle said.

But Bluebird? Bluebird knew better. Bluebird knew more.

And for the first time in years, Harper Row chose Bluebird.

So when the Joker disappeared from his cell on the night of her brother’s death, she wasn't the least bit surprised.

She knew exactly who Red Hood was.

She left a message for Bruce and called Duke, wheeling herself towards the warehouse where Damian had died all those years ago.

When Duke had gotten a call from Harper he had contemplated just not answering.

Kori was laid beside him and he really didn't want to move.

After a few minutes, however, duty won out and he picked up the phone without looking who was calling.

“This is Duke, how may I help you,” Duke said tiredly into the phone.

“Duke how fast can you get to Gotham,” a familiar voice asked him.

Duke immediately sat up, Kori whined at the sudden movement but Duke ignored her.

“Harper?” Duke breathed out, disbelieving that after all these years she would call him.

“How fast can you get to Gotham?” Harper growled out.

“I’ll be there in five,” Duke promised, getting out of the bed and rushing to put clothes on.

“Duke?” Kori asked in confusion, finally fully waking up.

“Hey babe I’ll be back in a bit, one of my friends from Gotham needs me,” Duke said as he hurried out of the room.

Harper texted him a string of coordinates that looked strangely familiar but Duke couldn't give it much thought.

He rushed into a Boom Tube.

Damian waited patiently beside the cooling, dead body of the Joker.

He supposed he could have waited till his father or Harper but he refused to let anything get in the way of his revenge.

He needed to be absolutely certain that the Joker would die by his hand.

It had felt wonderful to kill the bastard that murdered and tortured him.

It felt nice to have his revenge.

Now he just had to wait for his wayward family to finally reward him with their presence.

He strolled towards the table he had set up earlier and pulled out a seat for himself. He sat down without a backward glance.

The Joker didn't deserve any more of his attention.

After a few minutes of silent waiting someone finally opened the door.

Thank god, Damian had no idea what he would do if no one had fingered out who he was.

Probably spend the night next to the corpse of his killer.

Which was probably unhealthy?

Probably.

“Damian,” Harper stood before him in all her glory.

Duke stood slightly behind her, looking awkward and confused.

Damian blinked at the sight of him.

From what Damian had researched, this was the first time in two years that Duke had entered Gotham.

Damian drew his gaze back to Harper.

He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that she gathered reinforcements.

“Harper, Duke, it’s wonderful to see you both again,” Damian said as he slowly took off his helmet. (no it wasn't for the drama shut up)

“Oh fuck” Duke took a step back but Harper only wheeled herself forward.

She took an empty place at the table and leaned back against her seat.

Damian gestured for Duke to take a seat and after a few minutes of silence, the other man took his offer.

“Shit, cool, okay. So Damian’s alive and no one thought to tell me,” Duke says darkly.

“In my defense, I didn't find out till recently,” Harper says dryly.

Two pairs of accusing eyes turn towards him and Damian can't help but smile.

“My mother was keeping me trapped in the al Ghul headquarters “for my own safety”” Damian smiled lazily and watched as they took the news with their usual good grace, which is to say none at all.

“Fucking Talia,” Harper muttered as Duke just banged his head against the table.

Damian grimaced at the sight.

He really wouldn't recommend letting your head touch the table, it wasn't the cleanest.

“Yes, well, I've finally convinced her that I would be fine if she let me leave,” Damian says with a shrug. Duke pats his back sympathetically as Harper finally sees the remains of the Joker.

“You killed him,” Harper says breathlessly.

Damian smiles widely.

Duke turns to look before his face loses color as well.

“What the fuck!” Duke’s chair falls to the floor with a bang as Duke leans over the table to grab Damian by the front of his shirt.

Damian blinks at the rather extreme reaction.

“I'm sorry?” Damian says in confusion.

“You can’t- you can't just kill people! You're better than that!” Duke shouts as Damian tries to pull himself out of his grasp.

“Duke, what are you talking about?” Damian gently takes Duke’s hand away from his shirt and looks at Duke with concern in his eyes.

“What am I talking about?!” Duke asks hysterically. Damian turns to look at Harper, hoping for an ally in the face of Duke’s madness, but Harper is still looking at the body.

“I’m talking about the fact that you went back to killing!” Duke yells. Damian blinks at Duke before laughing long and hard in the other man's face.

“You surely didn't think I would just let the man that murdered me and crippled Harper walk did you?” Damian snorted at the idea. 

“You’re Blackbird! You aren't supposed to kill,” Duke took a step back and Harper looked at Damian with horror.

“Blackbird doesn't kill,” Harper whispers to herself. Damian narrows his eyes at them.

“I’m not Blackbird,” the words are said sharply.

Both Harper and Duke snap back at the words like there was a physical blow behind them.

He had expected at least some sort of warm welcome. Some sort of happiness at his safe return.

It seems not though.

Damian gets up, feeling impossibly small.

“I find it funny how once upon a time everyone at this table wore the name of a bird proudly. But now we are once more reunited and the titles we once held so close to our chests are gone. We were birds but I was shot down, Harper had her wings clipped, and Duke set down his feathers to be a symbol instead. At one point in time we were a flock,” Damian spits out, angry and confused and hurt.

Everything he had done he had done for them, and the one time that he wanted to do something for himself they turned away from him?

Where was the loyalty? The friendship? The family bond?

Damian turned away and left, not bothering to listen to their words as they called out to him.

He now remembered why he had never told them about all he had done to keep them safe.

“Damian,” a voice gritted out.

“Father,” Damian answered back without emotion.

“It’s not too late to stop,” his father says gently.

Damian laughed, long and hard.

Fuck it.

Fuck it all.

What was the point?

**Author's Note:**

> Damian Wayne- Red Hood (19)  
> Duke Thomas- Signal (18)  
> Harper Row- Oracle (16)
> 
> Up next is Interlude 3


End file.
